Evaporation-condensation heat transfer systems operate through an evaporation-condensation cycle that facilitates the movement of heat between two surfaces. These heat transfer systems include a heated evaporation surface that evaporates a fluid into a vapor. The vapor travels toward a condensation surface having a temperature that is cool enough to condense the vapor into a liquid. Evaporation-condensation heat transfer systems are used by processes such as water desalination, oil refining and industrial cooling for various purposes, including reducing unwanted heat or removing certain particles from a liquid.
A factor in the efficiency of evaporation-condensation heat transfer systems is the evaporation rate of the fluid. For example, if the evaporation surface is larger or if more heat is applied to the fluid, more fluid may be evaporated per unit of time. However, merely increasing the size of an evaporation surface or an evaporative heater may not improve the overall effectiveness of the system due to size, material and/or cost restrictions. In addition, conventional evaporation surfaces do not proficiently scale beyond certain limitations of the particular evaporation-condensation heat transfer system, such as the type of evaporation surface heater or the size of the chamber housing the evaporation-condensation cycle. Accordingly, evaporation-condensation heat transfer systems would benefit from improved evaporation surfaces that increase evaporation efficiency without requiring an increase in the size of the evaporation surface or the amount of heat required to achieve evaporation.